A new concept of stirred multiphase reactor using a stationary catalytic foam

Abstract

Developing new stirred gas-liquid-solid reactors with high mass transfer capabilities is still a challenge. In this publication, we present a new concept of multiphase reactor using a stationary catalytic foam and a gas-inducing impeller. The gas-liquid (GL) and liquid-solid (LS) mass transfer rates in this reactor were compared to a stirred reactor with basket filled with beads. Batch absorption of hydrogen and measurement of α-methylstyrene hydrogenation rate on Pd/Al2O3 catalyst were used to evaluate kGLaGL coefficients and kLS coefficients, respectively. With similar LS transfer rates to the basket-reactor and much higher GL transfer rates, the new reactor reveals a very promising tool for intrinsic kinetics investigations.